Summer
by Talliya
Summary: How Zell spent his summer after they defeated Ultimecia.


_I do not own any rights to Final Fantasy 8._

**:Summer:**

Summer was officially a waste of time. Zell couldn't _believe_ how boring it was. He'd been down to the Rinaul Coast several times with Tessa and other members of the gang. But the beach was lame; it was always the same stuff: surfing, swimming, splashing around, dunking people, knocking people off of their floating devices, relaxing in the sun, squirt gun fights, water balloon fights, open fires, smores, hotdogs (he liked the hotdog part). Well really he liked all of it, but he disliked that they always had to have someone standing guard so they weren't attacked by monsters on their outings. What he hated even more was when it was his turn to stand guard. He wanted more excitement!

He'd gone to Timber at one time and hung out with the Forest Owls for a while, SeeDs didn't really have much to do lately what with all the Peace Talks happening. They would be called on as security on occasion but mostly that job went to Squall and Quistis. Selphie and Irvine were working at rebuilding Trabia Garden still, hoping to get it fully functional and airborne like it's supposed to be able to do as well. So there wasn't really anyone to talk to... except Rinoa... and he could only take so much of her always cheerful-dispite-everything attitude. Hanging with her, Zone and Watts was fun however. But not really what he was looking for.

He was currently on his way to Commander Leonheart's office, he'd been summoned - ooooo spooky - he rolled his eyes. His silent Commander wasn't someone he was at all afraid of, afraid _for_ on occasion yes, but there wasn't anything frightening about the man. The man's relationship with Rinoa, while it had mellowed him a bit, at least toward her, he hadn't really changed in how he communicated with anyone else. Even knowing that all of them had been orphans together hadn't garnered them any special place with him. Zell huffed out a harsh sigh as he knocked on the door.

Getting a go-ahead to enter he did so, "You wanted to see me Commander?"

Squall looked up from the papers scattered across his desk, "Yes, would you mind going to Esthar with me tomorrow? The President wants to do something for my birthday, and I don't want to be alone with him if I can help it. He's too clingy." A visible shudder went through him.

Zell stared, then blinked and abruptly burst out laughing. Squall looked over at him with disdain and a pointed looked that very clearly asked the blonde what he thought was so funny. Zell took a while to sober up, but finally relented. "You're seriously upset that your dad, who didn't know you existed until this whole mess with Ultimecia, wants to be your dad?"

Squall sighed and leaned back in his chair with an uncertain shake of his head, "I'm just not used to it. Zell you're the only one of us that ever had parents that loved you. I don't know how to not feel smothered by his exuberance. It's part of the reason I'm asking you to come with me." He looked sheepishly off to the side. "I had hoped you could tell me what I'm doing wrong. I don't want to disappoint him anymore."

Zell was a bit startled by the revelation, more because Squall was telling him something heartfelt than because he thought Zell could be useful. "Um, sure. I can certainly try at least. Plus... it's so boring here~." He whined the last bit.

Squall grinned up at him, "Trust me, there's nothing 'boring' about Laguna Loire."

* * *

><p>The next morning Nida flew the two of them over to Esthar in the Ragnarok. They were greeted by Kiros and brought forthwith to the President's personal chamber. Laguna hurried across the room from a gigantic something that was covered with a draping cloth, to embrace his son. Squall awkwardly hugged him back while Zell tried to stifle his grin at his Commander's inelegance.<p>

Laguna shook Zell's hand and then ushered them across the room. "This is my birthday gift to you Squall!" He exclaimed before grabbing the cloth and tossing it aside. And before them stood a statue of Balamb Garden beside the Orphanage where they all grew up, there were figures of each of them standing between the two structures. All of it was painted in rich colors.

Zell blinked at the extravagance and turned to Squall to find the man looking at him plaintively. Blinking again he shrugged his shoulders and whispered, "Just thank him." He could tell all Squall really wanted to do was face-palm and walk away, but he nodded at him.

"Thank you." The simple phrase had a rather too large affect on the upbeat President, and he rushed over to Kiros and Ward jumping up and down and gushing about how Squall had thanked him. Ward of course said nothing and Kiros simply rolled his eyes.

Zell leaned toward Squall, "Dude, I am so sorry. But your dad is a nutter."

Squall fell into giggles, "I know." He answered when he could finally breathe. Zell simply stared at him, he'd never seen the man giggle before. With a shake of his head and a rueful grin Squall wrapped an arm around Zell's shoulders and moved them back over to Laguna. "Exactly how am I supposed to take that back with me?"

Laguna's raptures ended with a huge frown and Kiros face-palmed, "You didn't even think of that, did you?"

Laguna shook his head, "No, I didn't." He sighed, "I was so excited to have it commissioned and done by Squall's birthday I didn't bother to better plan out where it was made. It had to be somewhere most people don't go you see." He said the last looking at Zell.

Zell just grinned and shook his head, "Well, we could always knock out a wall and slide it out onto the Ragnarok and then put the wall back up."

Laguna looked intrigued by the idea and immediately had people start work on it... Zell, who had been half kidding, was shocked. Now Squall face-palmed and shook his head, silent laughter shaking his form.

A few hours later the statue was loaded up and Laguna was telling them about the ball and dinner he had planned. While Zell had loving parents... the Dincht's weren't eccentric! He really didn't know how to help Squall cope with his father, the man was crazy! At said ball an hour or so after being told about it and sitting through an extraordinary dinner the two SeeD's were in for another surprise. Seifer, Fujin, and Rajin were serving the cocktails at Squall's birthday ball.

Zell spent the night doing his best to avoid them while still trying to help Squall figure out a middle ground with his dad. All in all he was pretty successful... until the very end. Seifer saw him slinking away through the grand entrance shortly after Laguna called for the evening to end and the clean-up to begin.

"Hey Chicken-wuss!" Zell cringed and blushed at the same time before running away like Diablos was after him for his hotdog money. He ran all the way back to the Ragnarok before he slowed down any. Nida let him on and he spent the night aboard instead of in the nice setup Laguna had arranged for them.

When Squall arrived the next morning he refused to even look at Zell. Mystified Zell had to ask, "What'd I do?"

Squall glared hard at him as Nida started up the ship, "You left me at the mercy of my father's grand sleep-over-party all night! BY. MY. SELF!"

Zell winced and then couldn't help laughing, "Man, watching the way you and your dad interact has been the best part of my summer!" Then he frowned, "Then Seifer ruined it with one phrase."

Squall snickered, "I thought he might. Did you know he's dating Quistis?"

Zell was dumbstruck for the rest of the summer and avoided ever going near Quistis so that he wouldn't have to deal with her gunblader boyfriend. Which did nothing but anger her... so the first day of Fall she challenged him to a one-on-one fight and whipped him mercilessly.


End file.
